Preselector for the tonal control elements of an organ



May 10, 1966 w s JR 3,250,168

PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN Filed Feb. 14,1963 7 Sheets-Sheet l i /2 I WW 74 x \u fi 44 144 INVENTOR 050? M 55 3Je.

ATTORNEYS May 10, 1966 Filed Feb. 14,

O. W. SEPP, JR

PRESEILECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN '7 Sheets-Sheet2 NVENTOR $51 8 12.

May 10, 1966 o. w. SEPP, JR 3,250,168

PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN '7 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Feb. 14, 1963 INVENTOR OSCAR M SEPP, IQ.

ATTORNEYS iii PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN May10, 1966 o. 'w. SEPP, JR

'7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 14, 1963 FV/AVMW Ww NTOR NkMW

7" K g m ATTORNEYS INVE 0.9012 m/ SEPP, JR.

May 10, 1966 Filed Feb. l4 1963 o. w. SEPP, JR 3,250,168

PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN '7 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 050% W SEPP, J79.

May 10, 1966 Y O. W. SEPP, JR

PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN 7 Sheets-Sheet 6Filed Feb. 1.4, 1963 m a I k/s RP CY of a m K E..\ O v "H me J1... M A

q mm mm mm Q May 10, 1966 o. w. SEPP, JR 3,250,168

PRESELECTOR FOR THE TONAL CONTROL ELEMENTS OF AN ORGAN Filed Feb. 14,1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 SWITCHES 86 OF THE OTHER TABLETS /6 86 xrb l l 70THE RELAY TO THE RELAY OF THE OTHER TABLETS .SOL ENG/D5 I00 (Q 0INVENTOR 0.5634? 14 35 3 JR. BY

ATTORNEYS United States Patent The present invention relates to amechanism for mechanically moving a sereis of tonal control stops orelements in an organ into preselected positions in response to a mastercontrol.

A conventional form of organ contains an upper manual for the melodyordinarily played with the right hand, a lower manual used for theaccompaniment-and for the counter-melody ordinarily played with the lefthand and a series of movable tonal stops or elements, which are set upin the organ for the playing of many tonal and instrumental effects on:both manuals. These tonal controls stops or elements in a conventionalform of organ comprise a bank of drawbars, which mainly set up theharmonic tone colors for the two manuals, and each of which is settablein any one of a number of positons, and a set of tiltable controltablets for imparting expression and variety of color to the musicplayed.

Before playing each musical number, it is necessary to preset the manycontrol stops or elements manually in accordance with the tonal qualityor style desired or required. The selection is made in accordance with apreselected registration on the sheet music, or may follow a pattern orschedule determined by the player. This manual setting operation istime-consuming and tiring, especially to a non-professional performerand because of the many stops or control elements involved, is confusingand may lead easily to misdirection in making the proper selections.

One object of the present invention is to provide new and improved meansby which the settings of the tonal control stops or elements in an organcan be preselected easily, accurately, quickly and expeditiously.

Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improvedmeans by which the setting of the tonal control stops or elements in anorgan can be automatically made while permitting these control elementsto be manually and individually set, if desired, before or afterautomatic preselection.

A further object of the present invention is to provide new and improvedmeans by which the tonal control stops or elements in an organ can beautomatically brought quickly to an initial reset position in responseto the actuation of a reset control member.

In accordance with certain features of the present invention, a resetcontrol member is provided, which when actuated, brings all of the tonalcontrol stops or elements into initial reset position in preparation forautomatic or manual preselection.

In accordance with other features of the present invention a mastercontrol member desirably in the form of an index card is provided with apattern or schedule of selector configurations corresponding to aparticular musical number and the organ has a receptacle to receive thiscard. This index card is small for convenient handling and may beremovably attached to/or contained in a pocket in the music sheet soldor maybe prepared by a player in accordance with a suitable pattern hehas determined. The tonal control stops or elements are automaticallyset by the index card in accordance with the pattern of selectorconfigurations thereon when the card is inserted into the organreceptacle.

As another feature of the present invention, the system i as the uppermanual and played with the right hand 3,250,168 Patented May 10, 1966for automatically actuating the tonal control stops or elements intopreselected positions, does not interfere with the manual setting ofthese stops or elements, either before or after automatic selection.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionare apparent from the following description and from the accompanyingdrawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective showing the console of aconventional electric organ to which the features of the presentinvention are shown applied for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view partly in horizontal section of the frontcontrol panel section of the organ in the region of the controldrawbars;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of an index card having one formofselector configuration thereon and serving as the master selectorcontrol of the selector mechanism of the organ in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a section of the index card taken on lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the drawbar selector system with itswiring circuits showing the basic mechanism for resetting a controldrawbar into initial position in preparation for subsequent selectionand for selecting thereafter the drawbar and positioning it inaccordance with the selector configuration on the card index of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail perspective 0 part of the drawbarselector mechanism shown in connection with a pair of control drawbars;

FIG. 6a is a sectional detail perspective somewhat diagrammatic of aconventional tonal effect generator controlled from a control drawbarand constituting a continuation of FIG. 6 in the junction plane A-A;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail section part of the control drawbarselector mechanism taken on lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the tablet selector with its wiringcircuit showing the basic mechanism for resetting a control tablet intoinitial position in preparation for subsequent selection and forthereafter selecting the tablet in accordance with the selectorconfiguration on the index card of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the drawbar selector part of acomposite or integrated selector system incorporating the basicmechanisms of- FIGS. 5 and 8 and shows the tie-up between the controlsfor the different control drawbars and tablets;

FIG. 9a constituting a continuation of FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view ofthe tablet selector part of the composite or integrated selector systemincorporating the basic mechanisms of FIGS. 5 and 8 and shows the tie-upbetween the controls for the different control drawbars and tablets; andFIG. 10 is 'a perspective of an alternate form of index card havinganother form of selector configuration there- Referring to the drawingsand particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown the console of an electricorgan to which the invention may be applied. For purposes ofillustration, the present invention is shown in conjunction with anelectric organ of the Hammond type, but may be applied to an organ ofany type having tonal control stops or elements.

On the organ is shown an upper set 10 of keys, known and a lower set 11of keys, known as the lower manual for the accompaniment andcounter-melody and played with the left hand.

At the top right hand corner of the organ above the upper manual 10 is amanual switch 12-, which is normally in off position when the organ isinactive and electrically shut off and which is actuated into onposition when the organ is to be played.

On the control panel 13 of the organ to the left of the upper manual 10are a series of tonal control stops or elements 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2) shownin the form of drawbars terminating in manual knobs 15 (FIGS. 1, 2 and6). Each of these tonal control drawbars 14 has position numbersindicated thereon and shown ranging from 1 to 8 inclusive, as shown inFIG. 2. By moving the drawbars 14 endwise into any position, it ispossible to reproduce any tone color desired.

Seventeen control drawbars 14 are shown for purposes of illustration tocorrespond to the number of drawbars on a conventional type or make oforgan, but the number may vary according to the type or make of organ.The first seven drawbars 14, for example, may be the harmonic drawbars,which set up tone colors for the lower manual 11. The next controldrawbar 14 may control the volume of the pedals. Finally, there is a setof nine harmonic drawbars which set up tone colors for the upper manual10.

Many different tones may be created by making arrangements of theharmonic drawbars 14 controlling each manual.

Above the upper manual 10 of the organ are a series of tonal controlstops or elements 16- (FIG. 1) shown in the form of tablets tiltablefrom an off raised position downwardly into an on position. Thesetablets 16 allow adding expression and variety of color to the musicplayed and are shown in the specific embodiment illustrated, totalingsixteen, and arranged into six groups.

The first group of two tablets 16 represents the Lower Presets, and thenext group of four tablets 16 represent the Upper Presets. The firsttablet 16 in each of these two groups, when depressed, renders the tonesset up on the drawbars 14 effective for the corresponding upper manual10 or lower manual 11. The second tablet 16 in the first group may be anEnsemble control tablet producing an accompaniment tone which is acombination of strings and orchestral tones. The second, third andfourth tablets 16 in the second group may produce socalled Trumpet,Clarinet and Full Organ sound effects respectively when depressed intoon position.

The third group of four control tablets 16 control the percussion tonesavailable on the upper manual 10 and when depressed produce soundeffects like harp, chimes, orchestral bells, celeste, xylophone, marimbaand many more percussion sounds.

The fourth group of three control tablets 16 control the degree ofvibrato on both manuals.

The fifth group of two control tablets 16 provide the correct amount ofreverberation and these tablets are employed separately or incombination to give three degrees of reverberation to compensate for thedeadening effect of the acoustic treatment of the room in which theorgan is played.

The last control tablet 16 is a volume control.

The organ with its controls so far described, is of known type and isdescribed as an illustration of a type or make of organ to which thepresent invention can be employed, but it must be understood that as faras certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the invention can beapplied to the control of any type of organ having tonal control stopsor elements.

bars 14 into initial (zero) position and raises the control tablets 16from depressed on position to off position to set up these controls forpreselection.

The preselector index card 18 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is especially prepared fora corresponding piece of music and is made of any rigid material, suchas plastic or metal, and has a pattern of selector configurations 21thereon for actuating electric circuit control elements 22 (FIG. 5) forthe drawbars 14 shown in the form of switches, and a pattern of selectorconfigurations 23 (FIG. 3) for actuating electric circuit controlelements 24 (FIG. 8) for the tablets 16 also shown in the form ofswitches. The index card 18 may be attached to a sheet of music to besold, as for example, in a pocket or envelope attached to said sheet ofmusic to permit its easy removal therefrom, and corresponds in itspatterns selector configurations 21 and 23 to the desirable or suitablecontrol setting for the piece of music imprinted on said sheet.

In the specific embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the selectorconfigurations 21 and 23 constitute small protuberances, each formed,for example, by making parallel slits in the index card 18 and pressingthe material between the slits out of the plane of the card. The indexcard 18 has a row of designations 26 near the front of the card rangingfrom 1 to 17 corresponding to the number of control drawbars 14 .and arow of designations 27 on the adjacent side of the card ranging from 1to 8 corresponding to the number of possible selection positions of thedrawbars aside from the 0 (zero) inactive position. The protuberances 21may be located in any coordinate position along the row of designations26 corresponding to the drawbar 14 to be selected and along the row ofdesignations 27 according to the selected position of the selecteddrawbar.

The index card 18 also has a row of designations 28 near the front ofthe card ranging from 1 to 16 corresponding to the number of controltablets 16 and the protuberance 23 for each designation 28 is located inonly one position for said designation, where actuation of a selectedcontrol tablet in on position is indicated.

The index card 18 may also have a front tab 30 to facilitate handling ofthe index card into or out of the recess 17 on the organ.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show a wiring diagram and part of the mechanism for theresetting operation and for the positioning of a selected drawbar 14upon insertion of the index 18 in the recess 17. In the diagram of FIG.5, the index card 18 is shown in limiting position in the recess 17 witha protuberance 21 on said card located in position to push the firstdrawbar 16 mechanically into number 6 position.

In the circuit of FIG. 5, the drawbar 14 is connected to one end of aswitch actuator 35, the other end being connected to one end of the coreor plunger 36 of a standard solenoid 37 having a coil 38 and serving asa driver for said drawbar. There would be a solenoid 37 and a switchactuator 35 for each drawbar 14, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Theswitch actuator 35 is shown in the form of a plate mounted for slidemovement and having a series of steps 39 with risers corresponding innumber and positions to the possible selected positions 1 to 8 for thedrawbar 14. These steps serve to trip in succession into open positioneight normally closed springpressed switches 40 controlling thepositions of the corresponding drawbar 14, as the switch actuator 35 ismoved by the solenoid 37.

The resetting circuit shown in FIG. 5 includes a stepdown transformer 42across a house line 43, which may be connected to a source ofalternating current, and a rectifier 44 at the outlet of the transformerto convert the current into direct current. The solenoid coil 38 isconnected in series with a reversing double pole switch 45 connectedacross the output of the rectifier 44 and having contact lever arms 46and 46a movable in unison into engagement with poles 47d and 47respectively or with poles 48 and 48a respectively of the switch 45 inaccordance with the angular position of the contact arms 46 and 46a. Aconnector line 49 joins the pole 47 with one end of the solenoid coil 38and a connector line 50,

51 joins the pole 47d with the other end of the solenoid coil. Aconnector line 52, 51 having a spring-pressed normally open relay switch53 therein joins the pole 48a with one end of the solenoid coil 38 and aconnector line 54 joins the pole 48 with the other end of the solenoidcoil through part of the connector line 49.

The solenoid plunger 36 is moved in resetting direction to the right(FIG. 5) or in drawbar selecting position to the left according to thedirection of the current coursing through the solenoid coil 38, whichdirection is determined by the position of the reversing switch 45. Therate of movement of the solenoid plunger '36 is controlled by means of asuitable dashpot 56 (FIG. 6a), which may comprise .a closed air cylinder57 with a piston rod 58 connected to the solenoid plunger and to apiston 59 in said cylinder having air passages 60 extendingtherethrough.

In the absence of an index card 18 in the recess 17, the switch 53 (FIG.5) is open, and the reversing switch 45 is normally spring-pressed inposition with its contact arms 46 and 46a in engagement with the poles48 and 48a respectively. Under these normal conditions, the solenoidcoil 38 is deenergized and the solenoid plunger 36 is in the axialposition determined by the last setting of the control drawbar 14associated therewith.

'For moving the switch 45 from normal position in which its contact arms46 and 46a engage the poles 48 and 48a respectively into position inwhich its contact arms engage the poles 47d and 47 respectively, tothereby reset the control drawbars 14 into initial 0 (zero) position inpreparation for selection, there is provided the reset switch actuatingmember 20, shown in the form of a spring-pressed button. When thisbutton 20 is manually pressed against the action of a spring 65, thereversing switch 45 is moved into position to cause its contact arms 46and 46a to engage the poles 47a" and 47. In this position of thereversing switch 45, the solenoid 37 will be energized under polarizedconditions to move the plunger 36 to the right as far as it will go, andthereby to move the corresponding control drawbar 14 to the right to the0 (zero) position. Upon release of the button 20, the switch 45 willreturn under the action of the spring 65 into position in which thecontact arms 46 and 46a of the reversing switch 45 engage the poles 48and 48a respectively.

The relay switch 53 which conditions the selector and resetting circuitsfor operation is actuated from a solenoid 66 having a spring-pressedplunger 67 and a coil 68 in series with a normally open spring-pressedtarget switch 69 in the path of movement of the rear edge of the indexcard 18 in limiting operative position of said card in the recess 17,and closed by said rear card edge in said position. This relay coil 68is in a loop circuit, which may include a step-down transformer 70connected across a house line 71 supplying alternating current and arectifier 72 for converting the current to direct current, if such isrequired. The loop circuit of the relay coil 68 also contains in seriestherewith and with the switch 69 the normally open card operatedspring-pressed switch 22 in position to be engaged by the protuberance21 on the index card 18 and to close said switch when the card is in itslimiting position in the recess 17, and the normally closedcorresponding switch 40 in position to be engaged by a correspondingstep 39 on the switch actuator 35. There are eight card-actuatednormally open spring-pressed switches 22 for each control drawbar '14spaced along each position row of the index card 18, only one, if any,being closed by a corresponding card protuberance 21, and eightcorresponding spaced normally closed switches 40 in the path of thesteps 39 on the actuator 35 of the corresponding control drawbar 14.Each card actuated switch 22 is connected in series with thecorresponding switch 40 in a circuit loop, the eight 6 loops beingconnected together in parallel and all being connected in series withthe relay coil 68 actuating the switch 53, as shown in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 5, the eight switches 22 for the corresponding control tablet 14are shown somewhat mechanically only to clarify description but inactual practice these may be of any well-known construction. Theseswitches 22 would be small almost in the nature of microswitches, andmight be of the conventional easily available type operable to closeupon pressing contact of a protuberance 21 on the index card 18thereagainst, and spring-pressed back in to open condition when thiscontact is removed or is absent. These eight switches 22 are'shownconnected together to a grounded single bus bar or connector line 74;the electrical connection of one of the contacts or poles of each switch22 to this bus bar or line 74 is maintained both in open and closedposition of the switch.

The eight norm-ally closed spring-pressed switches 40 for each switchactuator 35 of each control drawbar 14, are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7spaced across the path of movement of the actuator in a row and oppositethe risers of the steps 39 respectively on said switch actuator inposition to be opened successively by said risers respectively as theswitch actuator is moved towards the left by a selecting operation. Thespacing between successive step risers would correspond to the distancebetween successive selected positions of the drawbar 14. As analternative, the switches 40 may also be arranged in echelon or stepwiseformation where this spacing is less than the distance betweensuccessive selected positions of the drawbar 14, as shown in somewhatexaggerated form in FIG. 9 to facilitate illustration. As a furtheralternative, the switch actuator 35, instead of presenting .a steppedforward edge, could present a straight forward switch tripping edge,while the switches are arranged in stepwise formation in position to vbetripped successively by said edge as the switch actuator is movedtowards the left, in which case, the distance between successiveswitches 40 along the direction of travel of the switch actuatorwould'correspond to the distance between successive settings of thedrawbars.

There are two target switches 69 arranged in series with each other andwith the relay coil 68 and spaced to engage the rear edge of the indexcard 18 near opposite ends thereof in limiting operative position of theindexv card, as shown in FIG. 9. With the target switches 69 so located,the circuits of the relay coil 68 will not close, if the index card isinserted in askew position in the recess 17, but will close if bothtarget switches 69 are closed.

Stop means are provided for limiting the position of the index card 18in its recess in operative position. In the specific form shown in FIG.5, there is provided for that purpose a fixed upstanding wall 75 acrossthe rear end of the recess 17 carrying the two fixed contacts 76 of thetwo target switches 69 interconnected by a bus bar or line (FIG. 9) andtwo yieldable contact fingers 77 normally spring-pressed away from saidfixed contacts respectively and in the path of the rear edge of theindex card 18. Whenthe index card 18 is pushed inwardly in the recess17, the rear edge of the card engaging the contact fingers 77 of theswitches 69 push said fingers against the action of the springs intocontact with the fixed contacts 76 respectively of said switches,thereby closing said switches and at the same time stopping said indexcard in the proper place for registration of its settings on the drawbarcontrol switches 22 and the tablet control switches 24.

In the operation of the selector mechanism so far described, it isassumed that the control drawbars 14 are in previous setting of thecorresponding control drawbar 14. With the organ in this condition, theresetting button 20 is pushed to move the contact arms 46 and 46a of thereversing switch 45 into contact with the poles 47d and 47, thisoperation closing the circuit of the solenoid coil 38 and causing thecurrent to flow therethrough in a direction to move the plunger 36towards the right and the switch actuator 35 and the control drawbar 14in the same direction. The manual pressure on the button 20 ismaintained until the drawbar 14 reaches the limit of its inward stoppedposition, which is its (zero) position. The pushing of the resettingbutton 20 as described, resets all of the drawbars 14 in their initialor 0 (zero) position and in proper condtiion for card selection.

With the drawbars 14 reset, and the control tablets 16, also reset inoff position in a manner to be described, the index card 18 is insertedin the recess 17 and pushed therein to the limiting position and keptthere by manual pressure against the action of the springs acting on theswitches 69. In this position of the index card 18, the rear edge of thecard will close the switches 69, and the protuberance 21 on a drawbarposition row of the index card will close the corresponding switch 22over said row, and this will close the circuit of the relay solenoidcoil 68 through the switches 69, the switch 22 and the closed switch 40in series with the closed switch 22, thereby energizing said coil andclosing the relay switch 53. This will close the circuit of the solenoidcoil- 38 through the poles 48 and 48a of the reversing switch 45 and theclosed switch 53, thereby energizing the solenoid coil 38 throughcurrent coursing in a direction to move the solenoid plunger 38 to theleft under the control delaying action of the dashpot 56 (FIG. 6a). Thismoves the switch actautor 35 and the drawbar 14 towards the left. As theswitch actuator 35 moves towards the left, the steps 39 thereon open insuccession the switches 40 until the closed switch 40 is reached inseries with the switch 22 which has been closed by the protuberance 21on the index card 18. This opens the switch 40 in series with the closedswitch 22 and thereby opens the circuit of the relay solenoid coil 68.This causes the springpressed switch 53 to open under the action of itsspring, thereby immobilizing the solenoid plunger 36. In this positionof the solenoid plunger 36, the drawbar 14 will be in the specific setposition indicated by the pattern of the index card 18, and thesolenoids 37 and 66 will be deenergized, until the next selectingoperation is initiated.

In FIGS. and 9, the first drawbar 14 is shown set in position 6 by theindex card 18 having a switch closing protuberance 21 in position 6 inthe first row corresponding to the first drawbar.

The mechanisms for resetting the control tablets 16 in preparation forindex card selection and for selecting the tablets to be moved into onposition are similar to but simpler than those for resetting andselecting the control drawbars 14. FIG. 8 shows a simplified basiccircuit for a single control tablet 16 and FIGS. 9 and 9a shows thiscircuit integrated into the overall resetting and selecting circuit ofthe organ.

Referring to FIG. 8, the resetting circuit for the control tablet 16comprises the step-down transformer 42, rectifier 44 at the outlet ofthe transformer, the double-pole reversing switch 45 with poles 47, 48and 48a and additional pole 47t, and resetting button 20 employed in theresetting circuit of the control drawbars 14. The control tablet 16 isconnected to a plunger 80 of a solenoid 81 serving as a driver for thecontrol tablet 16 and having a coil 82 energized from the outlet of therectifier 44. Connected in series with the solenoid coil 82 is theswitch 45. A connector line 83 and partof the connector 49 joins thepole 47 with one end of the solenoid 82 and a connector line 84 joinsthe pole 47t' with the other end of the solenoid coil. Part of theconnector line 52, a connector line 85 having a spring-pressed normallyopen relay switch 86 therein, and part of the connector line 84 joinsthe pole 48a with one end of the solenoid coil 82 and the connector line54, part of the connector line 49 and the connector line 83 joins thepole 48 with the other end of the solenoid coil.

The control tablet 16 has a pivot support 90 and is actuated from thesolenoid plunger 80 through an arm 91 connected to said tablet at oneside of said pivot support. The solenoid plunger 80 is moved in downwardresetting direction (FIG. 8) to raise the forward end of the controltablet 16 upwardly in off position or is moved upwardly in position todepress the tablet into on position, the direction of movement of theplunger depending on the direction of current cousing through thesolenoid coil 82. The rate of movement of the solenoid plunger 80 may becontrolled by means of a dashpot 93 similar to the dashpot 56 forcontrolling the solenoid plunger 36, but since the control tablet 16moves into only one of two positions, the dashpot 93 may be eliminatedand friction or other means may be employed to reduce shock on thetablets.

In the absence of an index card 18 in the recess 17, the relay switch 86is open, and the reversing switch 45 is normally in position with itscontact arms 46 and 46a in engagement with the poles 48 and 48a. Underthese conditions, the solenoid coil 82 is deenergized and the solenoidplunger 80 is in axial position determined by the last setting of thecontrol tablet 16 associated therewith. The solenoid plunger 82, ifvertical, may be under friction control to maintain it in whatever oneof its two positions it is moved to in the absence of energization ofits coil 82, or the solenoid 81 may be horizontal with a suitablelinkage between the plunger 80 and the control tablet 16, to move thetablet in on or off position,

according to the directions of horizontal movements of the plunger, inwhich case no such friction or similar control is required.

The resetting of the control tablet 16 into raised off position shown indot and dash lines in FIG. 8, is accomplished by pressing the button 20against the action of its spring 65, so as to move the contact arms 46and 46a of the switch 45 in engagement with the poles 47t and 47. Inthis position of the reversing switch 45, the sole: noid 81 will beenergized under polarized conditions to move the plunger 80 downwardlyand to raise the forward end of the control tablet 16 upwardly into ofldot and dash line position shown. Upon release of the button 20, theswitch 45 will return under the action of the spring 65 into position inwhich the contact arms 46 and 46a of the switch engage the poles 48 and48a.

The relay switch 86 conditions the selector and resetting circuits foroperation and is actuated from a solenoid having a spring-pressedplunger 101 and a coil 102 in series with the normally openspring-pressed switches 69 in the path of movement of the rear edge ofthe index card 18 in limiting operative position of said card in therecess 17, and closed by said rear card edge in said position. Thisrelay coil 102 is in a loop circuit which includes the step-downtransformer 70 connected across the house line 71 supplying current andthe rectifier 72 for converting the current to direct current, if suchis required. The loop circuit of the relay coil 102 also contains inseries therewith and with the target into on position is. indicated. Theswitch 104 is opened I against the action of its spring by an offset orearn 105 on the arm 91 adapted to trip said switch open as the plunger80 of the energized solenoid 82 is moved upwardly.

In the operation of the selector mechanism for the cont'rol tablets 16,it is assumed that at least some of the tablets are in on position froma previous setting and that no index card 18 is in the recess 17. Inthis normal condition of the organ, the reversing switch 45 is inposition to contact the poles 48 and 48a, the switches 69, 86 and 24 areopen and the switch 104 is closed. With the organ in this position, theresetting button 20 is pushed to move the contact arms 46 and 46a of thereversing switch 45 into contact with the poles 471' and 47, thisoperation not only resetting the control drawbars 14 through the contact47d as previously described but also closing the circuit of the solenoidcoil 82 and, causing the current to flow therethrough in a direction tomove the plunger 80 downwardly and the forward section of the controltablet 16 upwardly in the off position. pushing of the resetting button20 as described, resets all of the tablets 16 in oil position in propercondition for card selection.

With the drawbars 14 reset in position and the tablets 16 reset in offposition by the operation described, the index card 18 is inserted inthe recess 17 and pushed therein to limiting operative position asdescribed. In this position of the index card 18, the rear edge of the acard will close the target switches 69 and the protuberance 23 on theindex card will close the corresponding switch 24, and this will closethe circuit of the relay solenoid coil 102 through the switches 69, theswitch 24 and the switch 104 in series therewith, thereby energizingsaid coil and closing the relay switch 86. This will close the circuitof the solenoid coil 82 through the poles 48 and 48a of the reversingswitch 45 and the closed switch 86, thereby energizing the solenoid coil82 through current coursing in a direction to move the solenoid plunger80 upwardly. This moves the forward section of the control tablet 16downwardly in on position and will at the same time open the switch 104,thereby opening the circuit of the relay coil 102 and causing the switch86 to open. The opening of the switch 86 opens the circuit of thesolenoid coil 82. The control tablet 16 will remain in on position untilreset and reselected for the next piece of music, or until manuallyreturned to 011 position, if such is desired during the playing of apiece of music.

Since the springs acting on the switches 69 push against the index card18 tending to open said switches, it is necessary to maintain manualpressure edgewise against the cards to maintain said switches closed,until the selections and settings of the control drawbars 14 and tablets16 are completed, whereupon manual pressure against the card can bereleased. This release of manual pressure on the index card 18 willpermit said card to move outwardly from the recess 17 sufiiciently toopen the switches 69 against the action of their springs, and this willdeenergizethe electrical selector control systems described.

After the automatic selection and setting of the control drawbars 14 and16 have been made as described, and after the switches 69 have beenautomatically opened by the release of manual pressure on the index card18, it is possible to manually reset any drawbar or drawbars or anytablet or tablets in the usual way without interfering with the settingof the other drawbars and tablets and without removing the index cardfrom the recess 17. This manual control superposed onthe automaticallyeffected controls may be desirable to interpose tonal variations in thepiece being played without disturbing the general or basic pattern oftonal effects automatically set at the beginning of the piece by meansof the index card.

The tone generators and the tonal function controls accomplished by thesettings of the different control drawbars 14 and the control tablets16, per se, form no part of the present invention and may beaccomplished in any suitable manner. For example, in FIG. 6a, there isshown such a tone generator 110, which may comprise a' constant speedwheel 111 for generating sound vibrations, and a tuning fork 112connected to a stem movable The 18 with the solenoid plunger 36 relativeto the wheel, so that the position of this tuning fork will accord withthe setting of the corresponding control drawbar 14 to generate acorresponding tone.

A suitable tonal function control 113 (FIG. 8) may be similarly operatedin on position of a tablet 16, as shown in FIG. 8.

,FIGS. 9 and 9a conjointly show the basic circuits of FIGS. 5 and 8integrated for the first two control drawbars 14 and for the first twocontrol tablets 16 into a composite circuit; the tie-up of the circuitsfor all of the drawbars and tablets is obvious from this compositecircuit. 'It is seen from this composite circuit that there is requiredonly one reversing switch 45, one resetting button 20 for operating saidswitch, a solenoid 37 for driving each drawbar 14, a relay solenoid 66for each drawbar, a solenoid 81 for driving each, tablet 16 and a relaysolenoid for each tablet.

Also, it should be noted that once the necessary selection and settingof the drawbars 14 and tablets-16 have been made by the insertion of theselector index card 18 in the recess 17, and the switches 69 have beenopened by the release of edgewise manual pressure on the index card, theresetting and selecting circuits are all deenergized until the nextresetting and selecting operations are initiated.

In the composite or integrated circuits of FIGS. 9 and 9a, FIG. 9a isjoined to FIG. 9 along the connector line points a, b, c, d and e, sothat by joining the two figures at these points, the composite circuitsare formed.

In the composite circuit of FIGS. 9 and 9a, the driver solenoids 37 forthe drawbars 14 and the driver solenoids 81 for the tablets 16 areconnected in parallel across the reversing switch 45. With such parallelconnection, in order to prevent the relay switches 53 and'86,controlling the selections of those drawbars 14 and/ or tablets 16 whichare not scheduled for selection on the index card 18 in the recesses 17,from being shunted or short-circuited, and to prevent thereby suchunscheduled selection and setting of these drawbars and tablets, thecontact lever arm 46 of said switch has a gang of contact points marked1, 2 one for each drawbar 14, and a gang of contact points marked 1, 2'one for each tablet 16, Although there are shown only two contactspoints 1, 2 and only two contact points 1', 2' to conform to the firsttwo drawbars 14 and to the first two tablets 16 shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a,actually there would be seventeen contact points 1, 2 ,for the seventeendrawbars and sixteen contact points 1, 2 for the sixteen tablets, toagree with the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated. Forcooperation with the contact points 1, 2 and contact points 1, 2 on thecontact arm 46 of the switch 45, there are provided poles 47d, 47dhaving respective connector lines 50, 50' for connection to the driversolenoids 37 of the drawbars 14 respectively and poles 47t', 47t" havingrespective connector lines 84, 84', for connection to the driversolenoids 81 of the tablets 16 respectively.

In the circuits of FIGS. 9 and 9a, the first drawbar 14 is shown set forposition 6, the second drawbar is shown set for position 5, the firsttablet 16 is shown set in on position and the second tablet 16 is shownset in off position.

Summarizing the overall operation, upon pushing the button 20 inwardly,the switch 45 will close contact with poles 47d, 47d" 47t', 47t" andpole 47 simultaneously and will close thereby the circuits of allof thesolenoid coils 38 and the solenoid coils 82, to cause the drawbars 14and tablets 16 set for'a' previous playing session to be reset. With allof the drawbars 14 reset in 0 (zero) position and all of the tablets 16reset in off position, and with the switch 45 restored to normalposition in which contacts are reestablished with poles 48 and 48a, theindex card 18 is pushed into the recess 17 into limiting position toclose relay switches 69. This will close the circuits through theswitches 69 and- I through those drawbar switches 22 and tablet switches24 which have been closed by the selector protuberances 21 and 23 on theindex card 18, thereby moving the selected drawbars 14 in selectedposition by means of the corresponding driver solenoids 38 and movingthe selected tablet 16 in on position by means of the correspondingdriver solenoids 81.

In the embodiment of the invention so far described, the selector indexcard 18 is illustrated with selector configurations in the form ofprotuberances 21 and 23 for actuating electric circuit control elements22 and 24 shown in the form of switches. However, as far as certainaspects of the present invention are concerned, the selectorconfigurations can take other forms. For example, as shown in FIG. 10,the selector configurations in the index card 18a may take the form ofopenings 21a for selection of the drawbars 14 and similar openings (notshown) for selection of the tablets 16. With such a perforated indexcard, either direct mechanical switches may be employed for controlelements as shown in the embodiment of the invention illustrated inFIGS. l-9a, or pneumatically, magnetically or photoelectricallycontrolled circuitry could be employed to select the drawbars 14 andtablets 16. Also, as far as certain aspects of the invention areconcerned, the index card may take other forms. For example, the indexcard may be magnetized in selected sections to adapt it for operationwith magnetically controlled circuitry or may be made transparent atselected sections, either by perforations as shown in FIG. 10 or bymasking or other means for operation with photoelectric circuitry orother optical responsive mechanisms.

While the invention has been described with particular reference tospecific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to belimited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

I. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects, a receptacle for receiving a master control record havingselector configurations thereon, and means automatically operable whensaid control record is placed in said receptacle without subsequentadditional manipulation for selecting stops and positioning them inaccordance with said configurations.

2. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleifects, a receptacle for receiving a master control record havingselector configurations thereon, means for sensing said configurationsautomatically when said record is placed in predetermined position insaid receptacle without subsequent additional manipulation, and meansresponsive to said sensing means for selecting stops in accordance withthe sensed configurations and for positioning the selected stops intoactive positions according to said configurations.

3. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects, a receptacle for receiving a master control record havingselector configurations thereon, means for sensing said configurations,electric power driver means responsive to said sensing means forselecting and moving selected stops into active positions, said powermeans being inoperative in the absence of a master control record insaid receptacle, a target switch located in position to be tripped bysaid record when said record is placed in said receptacle in properposition to cause said configurations to be properly sensed by saidsensing means, and means for rendering said power means operative uponthe tripping of said switch by said record.

4. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects in the form of drawbars, each adapted to be drawn into more thantwo active selected positions from an inactive position, a receptaclefor receiving a master control record having selector'configurationsthereon, means for sensing said configurations when said record isplaced in predetermined position in said re- I2 ceptacle, and meansresponsive to said sensing means for selecting stops in accordance withthe sensed configurations and for drawing the selected stops intoselected positions in accordance with said configurations.

5. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects, some of said stops being in the form of drawbars, each drawableinto selected positions from an inactive position, and the other stopsbeing in the form of tablets tiltable into on and off positions, areceptacle for receiving a master control record having selectorconfigurations for the stops of both types, means for sensing saidconfigurations when said record is placed in predetermined position insaid receptacle, and means responsive to said sensing means forselecting drawbars in accordance with the sensed configurations anddrawing the selected drawbars into selected positions in accordance withsaid configurations and for selecting tablets and tilting the selectedtablets in on positions in ac cordance with said configurations.

6. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects, a receptacle for receiving a master control record havingselector configurations thereon, means operable when said control recordis placed in said receptacle in predetermined position for automaticallyselecting stops and positioning them in accordance with saidconfigurations, and comprising a control member for said selecting meansautomatically set by said receptacle in position to render. saidselecting means operative automatically when said control record is insaid predetermined position, spring means in said receptacle urging saidcontrol record away from said predetermined position, whereby uponmanual release of said control record in said receptable said recordwill be moved by said spring means away from said predetermined positionwithout disturbing the positions of said stops, said control memberbeing automatically set in position to render said selecting meansinoperative automatically when said record is out of said predeterminedposition, and means for rendering said stops operative for manualseparate positioning while said record is out of said predeterminedposition.

7. In an organ, the combination comprising stops for controlling tonaleffects and each mounted for positioning from inactive position intomore than one active position,

a receptacle for receiving a master control record having a selectorconfigurations therein, means for sensing said configurations when saidrecord is placed in predetermined position in said receptacle comprisinga switch for each active position of each stop having means for feelingsaid configuration and closing selected switches thereby, and meansoperable when said switches are closed for automatically moving thecorresponding stops into active positions.

8. In an organ, the combination comprising manually settable stops forselecting and controlling tonal effects, a receptacle for receiving amaster control record having selector configurations thereon, and meansoperable automatically when said control record is placed in saidreceptable for selecting tonal effects and for controlling them to thesame extent as they would be controlled by the manual setting of saidstops without subsequent additional manipulation.

9. In an organ having playing keys, the combination comprising manuallysettable stops for selecting and controlling tonal effects produced whenthe keys are played, means supporting each of said stops for movementsfrom an inactive position into a number of diiferent active positions,corresponding to different tonal effects respectively, means responsiveto the manual setting of any one of said stops into any one of itsactive positions for producing the corresponding tonal effects when theorgan keys are played, a receptacle for receiving a master controlrecord having selector configurations thereon, and means automaticallyoperable in accordance with the pattern of said selector configurationwhen said control receptacle is placed in predetermined position in saidreceptacle for controlling said effects to the same extent as they wouldbe controlled by the manual setting of said stops into active positionscorresponding to said selector configurations.

10. In an organ having playing keys, the combination as described inclaim 9, wherein said stops are in the form of drawbars, each beingadapted to be moved endwise into any of said active positions.

11. In an organ having playing keys, the combination as described inclaim 9, said automatically operable means comprising banks of switchescorresponding to said stops respectively and arranged side by side forcontrolling the actions of said tonal efiects, each bank having a seriesof switches corresponding to the number of active positions on thecorresponding stop, said switches in each bank being adapted to benormally opened and each switch in said bank being closed by acorresponding configuration on the master control record, when saidmaster control record is inserted in said predetermined position in saidreceptacle, whereby the position of a particular configuration on thecontrol record will determine the particular switch in a correspondingbank of switches closed by said particular configuration.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,650,555 11/1927Walcker 84-343 1,819,820 8/1931 Kent 84-1.18 2,541,051 2/1951 Hanert84-122 2,699,085 1/1955 Zuck 84-1.19 2,704,187 4/1955 Beach et al2356l.12 2,855,816 10/1958 Olson et al 841.03 2,954,716 10/1960 Raymond84-337 3,103,141 9/1963 Adams 84343 3,114,036 12/1963 Andregg 235-61.123,172,939 3/1965 Campbell et a1 84-103 LOUIS I. CAPOZI, PrimaryExaminer.

LEO SMILOW, C. M. OVERBEY, Assistant Examiners.

1. IN AN ORGAN, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING STOPS FOR CONTROLLING TONALEFFECTS, A RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING A MASTER CONTROL RECORD HAVINGSELECTOR CONFIGURATIONS THEREON, AND MEANS AUTOMATICALLY OPERABLE WHENSAID CONTROL RECORD IS PLACED IN SAID RECEPTACLE WITHOUT SUBSEQUENTADDITIONAL MANIPULATION FOR SELECTING STOPS AND POSITIONING THEM INACCORDANCE WITH SAID CONFIGURATIONS.